Albemarle Co. Charlottesville Fluvanna Co. Greene Co. Louisa Co. Nelson Co.
  
Fluvanna County Population: 25,691*
Education:
3,790 students; Schools--
3 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high
FY12 Operating Budget:
$67.9 million (including schools)
Real Estate Tax Rate:
$.57 per $100 assessed value
Total civilian employment: 14,277**

*2010 Census population
** Va Workforce Connection 2010

Fluvanna County

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TJPDC Assists Columbia Planning Grant Work

TJPDC assisted the Town of Columbia in preparing a successful Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) planning grant. The grant will provide funds for planning for acquisition, demolition and permanent relocation assistance for a designated project area along St. James Street. TJPDC is assisting the town with performing the planning tasks outlined in the grant, meeting monthly with town and county officials and citizens. Later, the Town expects to submit an application for a Community Improvement Grant, based on the findings and the public participation process of the planning grant.

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Local Government Employment Awareness Training

Through a Virginia Association of Disability Services Board grant, the Jefferson Area Disability Services Board, which is staffed by TJPDC, provided training and resource materials to area localities in an effort to increase their ability to hire individuals with disabilities. A session was held with Fluvanna County staff in September. This and the other training sessions held were designed to build awareness on hiring practices, available resources through the Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS), and reasonable accommodations. They included an overview of DRS services, disability awareness and etiquette, assistive technology in the workplace, and testimonials by employees with disabilities.

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Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

The TJPDC, in partnership with the Thomas Jefferson and Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and Rivanna River Basin Commission, lead the Piedmont Regional Pilot Project, one of two projects selected in Virginia to provide input into the shaping of the Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) process for the Chesapeake Bay TMDL (pollution diet). The project produced focus groups to solicit input from those stakeholders that will be most affected by the TMDL. Feedback to the state and the Environmental Protection Agency provided by this project ensured that localities had the flexibility to shape implementation strategies to be deployed at the local level to meet target pollution reduction goals set by the state. Fluvanna County has the option to use the 2009 land cover map produced by the Rivanna River Basin Commission to inform strategies for meeting local pollution reduction targets. Local governments maintain control over participation and strategy development in the Phase II WIP process.

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RideShare Assistance

RideShare provided carpool matching to 13 new applicants and Guaranteed Ride Home benefits for 23 residents of Fluvanna County in FY11. RideShare is an active member of the Fluvanna County Interagency Council and participates in community events in the county, including Celebrating Children Day and Fork Union Community Day.

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HOME Consortium

In the past fiscal year (July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011) the HOME Consortium drew down $934,280.50 in HOME funds, excluding administrative funds. Fifteen percent of HOME funds are reserved for Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) projects. Remaining funds are evenly distributed among the six localities. For FY11, each locality was allocated $125,969 for projects for the year and $5,878 to defray administrative costs. Sub-recipients could also draw down funds carried forward from previous years.

The Fluvanna/Louisa Housing Foundation (FLHF) expended $103,406 of HOME funds for projects and received $5,878 toward administrative costs. In Fluvanna County, FLHF completed two first-time homebuyer down payment assistance projects, two new homes for first time homebuyers, and seven owner rehabilitation projects.

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Charlottesville HOME Consortium Heat Pump Revolving Loan Fund

On behalf of the Charlottesville HOME Consortium, TJPDC was awarded $199,980 in February 2010 to establish a revolving loan fund for heat pump upgrades Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson Counties. The grant is through the Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant (EECBG) administered by the Department of Mines, Mineral and Energy (DMME). Through the program, households will benefit by replacing inefficient units near the end of their useful life with new high efficiency 16 SEER heat pumps. All repaid and recaptured EECBG funds will be returned to the loan fund for use toward additional heat pump replacement projects beyond the end of the grant.

From July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011, the Fluvanna/Louisa Housing Foundation (FLHF) completed four heat pump projects totaling 5,176 square feet and using $17,250 of grant funds for construction. FLHF also received $500 per project to cover the costs of outreach and project management.

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Legislative Efforts

TJPDC informed state legislators representing Fluvanna County on issues of concern specifically related to the state budget, land use issues and the Chesapeake Bay TMDL. TJPDC also worked to secure approval of legislation to allow a local governing body member, in the case of a special meeting, to receive notification of the meeting by e-mail or fax.

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Solid Waste Planning Unit

Since 2004, Fluvanna County has participated in the Thomas Jefferson Solid Waste Planning Unit along with the City of Charlottesville, and Greene and Albemarle Counties. The four local governments pool their resources in an effort to comply with state solid waste planning regulations, which require each locality to maintain a current Solid Waste Management Plan, and meet a minimum 25% recycling rate. The regional Solid Waste Management plan also allows localities to collaborate on joint strategies that lead to more efficient delivery of services to citizens, such as regional special waste collection events, cooperative contracting language, public education, and using the TJPDC as a central archive for data, planning, and reporting. In calendar year 2010, the data collected by the TJPDC showed that Fluvanna County achieved a recycling rate of 26.5%, while the region as a whole achieved a rate of 29.2%.

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Rural Long Range Transportation Plan

The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission approved the region's Rural Long Range Transportation Plan (RLRP), in December 2010. The RLRP lists all potential transportation roadway improvements in the rural portions of the region. Fluvanna County reviewed their local roadway priorities during the RLRP planning process. The project list is focused on the U.S. 15 and 53 corridors, but also identifies deficiencies in other areas of the County as well. The final RLRP document is a central information source for all transportation projects in Fluvanna County. This resource will be beneficial for planning staff, elected officials, and members of the public.

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Transportation and Housing Alliance (THA)

In October of 2010, The TJPDC started work on a grant to increase the use and awareness of the Transportation and Housing Alliance (THA) Toolkit across the state. The Virginia Department of People with Disabilities is funding this project, which will help integrate the needs of the elderly and those with disabilities into the daily workings of local government. This project includes the development of:

  • An assessment tool that evaluates local policies and procedures;
  • A list of common barriers to implementing accessibility; and
  • Model ordinance language that serves as an inventory of tools for localities.

To develop and test these deliverables, the TJPDC conducted six case studies, representing the Thomas Jefferson Planning District's member localities, including Fluvanna County.

The County's planning staff completed our Assessment Tool Form, identifying barriers to accessibility in local regulations, policies and procedures. While these responses revealed that Fluvanna already took several actions to meet these needs, there were opportunities for further action. TJPDC staff met with Fluvanna's Planning Commission to discuss these items. In the coming months, staff will continue to work with the County on amendments that will help provide assistance to their citizens with special needs.